Sign up for Chalkbeat Tennessee’s free newsletter to keep up with statewide education policy and Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
Memphis voters will choose an all-new school board this year in an unprecedented mega-election that comes as state lawmakers push to dilute the power of the locally elected board.
For the first time, the 2026 ballot will include candidates for all nine Memphis-Shelby County school board seats. And those vying for the open positions will also compete in a partisan primary in May.
These changes are part of what some state and local officials say is a plan to increase voter turnout and school board accountability. But others argue the moves are unconstitutional and retaliatory.
The MSCS board filed a lawsuit in December against the local election commission to stop it from holding races for Districts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7. Those races would cut short five members’ terms, a move the lawsuit calls “legislative punishment masquerading as election reform.”
Memphis school board members have faced heavy backlash from some parents and community leaders, in addition to government officials, since voting to fire former Superintendent Marie Feagins last January. Some say the 2026 election changes are a reaction to that decision.
But there’s much more at stake, including school closures and a new superintendent hire. And in the midst of the district’s upheaval, the board’s own authority could be usurped by the state in the coming months.
Here are four reasons why the 2026 board election is so important.
For some, it’s a long-awaited reckoning for Marie Feagins’ ouster
During months of back-and-forth votes from the county commission, some MSCS parents and community members testified that the school board needed to be held accountable for abruptly firing Feagins, who they say was making good progress.
Board members have said the mega-election is retaliation for that decision. Four of the five members who will lose two years of their elected terms voted to oust the former superintendent.
Others say Feagins is a factor in the election upheaval, but not the driving force.
“The firing of Feagins is a symptom of the problem, but it was not the only problem, and it wasn’t necessarily the triggering problem,” said Luke Cymbal, vice president of the Shelby County Democrats. Cymbal said it’s more about low literacy and high absenteeism rates in the district, academic underperformance issues that have long plagued the district.
Mauricio Calvo, a former MSCS board member and director of Latino Memphis, said Feagins’ firing sparked a lot of anger in some parents.
“People were really upset, but they didn’t care enough to go and vote last year,” he said. “Suddenly they’re like, ‘I want to recall board members; they should be fired,’ and that’s not a thing.”
Rep. Torrey Harris, a Democrat from Memphis, has already filed a bill that would allow voters to recall local elected officials — including school board members — in the upcoming legislative session.
Significant state intervention could be coming
Two Republican Tennessee lawmakers, Rep. Mark White and Sen. Brent Taylor, say they will revisit an effort to establish a state-appointed board of managers in MSCS. If White and House GOP leaders get their way, the board would have significant decision-making authority, diluting the power of the elected school board.
The results of an independent financial audit of the district, also pushed forward by state lawmakers last year, are expected to come out in 2026. An early report should be released at the beginning of the year, White said in December.
While Taylor’s Senate bill last year established an oversight body with limited authority over district decisions, White and other House leaders are adamant the group needs voting authority on major school board decisions like budget creation and large purchases.
Local Republican leaders are hopeful that support for a takeover could propel some conservative candidates to win MSCS board seats. Regardless, debates about how best to work with the state on MSCS issues will likely play a major role in the 2026 elections.
MSCS leadership decisions are coming
MSCS is due for a new superintendent at the end of July. Interim Superintendent Roderick Richmond said he wants the permanent role, but it’s unclear if the MSCS board will conduct a formal search. The last superintendent search took over a year and stalled multiple times because of board infighting.
Board members kicked off an informal review of Richmond’s 10-month performance in November. They’re expected to discuss results from anonymous staff surveys and give their input in January.
Meanwhile, Feagins’ lawsuit against MSCS in which she seeks to be reinstated as the district’s top leader is still ongoing. The Daily Memphian reported that she also recently announced a bid for the 2026 Shelby County mayoral race.
School closures and building upgrades are on the way
In February, the current MSCS board is set to vote on a proposed list of four school closures and the transfer of one elementary school to a neighboring district starting next year. Up to 10 more schools could be closed by 2028, according to a long-term facilities plan released in December.
The new plan didn’t name which schools will be suggested for closure in the next few years. But it did say most recommendations will be concentrated in the Northwest and Southwest districts, where chronic underenrollment and facility conditions are at their worst.
In town halls this fall, parents raised concerns about teacher relocation and student safety, especially at schools that could merge students from different grade levels. But the long-term plan suggests leaning even more on K-8 or 6-12 schools.
The next school board will be in charge of approving the 2027 and 2028 closures and directing the first wave of needed building upgrades and repairs. That includes securing funding, such as asking the Shelby County commission for a $750 million bond for the next 10 years.
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
Bri Hatch 2026-01-05 18:47:42
Source link